Moses Itauma has effortlessly defeated every opponent in his professional career to date. On Saturday, the 20-year-old will step into the ring with boxing veteran Dillian Whyte – and knows what to expect.
Twenty years young, flawless record, knockout rate of more than 83 percent: top talent Moses Itauma (12-0, 10 knockouts) has a bright future in the heavyweight division. But Itauma also knows that success in professional boxing is not a sure-fire success. On Saturday, the young star from promoter Frank Warren’s stable will face ring veteran Dillian Whyte (31-3-0, 21 knockouts) in the ANB Arena in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
“Kept me awake at night”
There is no question that Itauma, who holds the WBO Interconti heavyweight belt, is the favorite going into this fight. The young star himself even declared a few weeks ago that he expects nothing less than to knock out the 37-year-old “Body Snatcher”. A sure-fire winner?
Itauma doesn’t quite see it that way. “The fight against Dillian Whyte kept me awake at night,” he confessed to “Ring Magazine”. “There were different scenarios going on in my head. I think that could be a problem for a lot of people.” He has always been a man of action, explained the southpaw, whose fights have an average duration of 2.1 rounds. “I just go in and do it.” He doesn’t want to make the mistake of focusing too much on the result, he said. “Rather, I concentrate on boxing according to my gameplan.”
The goal is a knockout victory
“If I can do that, I know I can beat Dillan Whyte,” says Itauma. So the job is done, the equation solved. “If I don’t do it, I know I’ll be disappointed.” But the knockout does put a little pressure on the 20-year-old: “If you don’t succeed, it’s as if you’ve failed. If I knock out Dillian Whyte, it’s cool, that was always my job. Mission accomplished. But if I don’t make it, of course I’m disappointed.”
Whyte, who is 17 years older than Itauma, can look back on an eventful 14-year professional career. During this time, he won the British heavyweight title and an interim WBC title, but also suffered devastating knockout defeats against Anthony Joshua, Alexander Povetkin and Tyson Fury.
Which version of Whyte?
When asked what version of Whyte he imagines, Itauma replied: “I imagine a scary, evil-looking guy ready to rip my head off. I have a feeling that’s exactly what he intends to do.” It can be assumed that the “Body Snatcher” has little chance against Itauma due to his inactivity in recent years – he has fought three fights since November 2022. But the young star will treat the experienced Whyte, who has also defeated Joseph Parker, Derek Chisora and Alex Povetkin, with respect.
“I’m number one in the WBO, so a win against me would probably put him in a position to fight interim champion Joseph Parker,” analyzes Moses Itauma. “That would put him in a good position.” Of course, he doesn’t know how his opponent will perform on Saturday (live on DAZN). “But I imagine the best Dillian Whyte.”
Text: Frank Schwantes